NACCE Celebrates National Entrepreneurship Week with Special Events, Workshops

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) will host a series of special events in observance of National Entrepreneurship Week (Feb. 15-22).

Cary, NC, February 18, 2020 --(PR.com)-- This year’s celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week (NEW) will be especially significant for the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) because it will include the grand opening of the organization’s new national headquarters at Wake Tech’s Western Wake Campus in Cary, NC. Celebrated annually during the third week of February, NEW highlights the importance of entrepreneurship by engaging communities across the United States in activities that promote and support entrepreneurship.

NACCE, the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, will lead or contribute to a number of events during NEW, from February 15 to 22, including:

February 17 – NACCE co-hosted a 2:00 p.m. (EST) webinar in partnership with the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education (EntreEd), highlighting North Idaho College’s (NIC) makeShift 2.0, which focuses on leveraging best practices to teach the maker and entrepreneurial mindset. It includes speakers from NACCE, EntreEd, and NIC.

February 18 – Maricopa Community College District (MCCD) of Arizona, will host a Center of Practice event at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) in Phoenix. The event will feature “Club Z,” a student success group from PVCC that focuses on creativity, inclusion, and student engagement. Leading the discussion will be NACCE President and CEO Rebecca Corbin, and PVCC faculty member Caron Sada.

February 19 – In the morning, NACCE will host meetings with community leaders to explore entrepreneurship resources for the region and beyond, and discuss how entrepreneurial practitioners and leaders can share best practices and expertise through NACCE’s growing Centers of Practice.

Starting at 1:00 p.m., NACCE facilitators will present three professional development workshops. These include:

- “Equity & Diversity,” co-presented by Jeff Smith, NACCE director of Innovation and Equity; and Katie Gailes, director of Wake Tech’s Entrepreneurship Initiatives.

- “Access to Capital: Financial Fitness in Turbulent Times,” co-presented by Andrew Gold, assistant professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Hillsborough Community College; and Cherith Roberson, director of Wake Tech’s Small Business Center.

- “Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset,” co-presented by Rebecca Corbin, president and CEO of NACCE; and Beth Kerly, associate professor of Entrepreneurship, Hillsborough Community College.

NACCE will host the official grand opening of its new national headquarters during a ribbon and cake-cutting reception immediately following the workshop series at 4:00 p.m. Leadership remarks, beginning at 4:30 p.m., will include a lighted torch exchange from Wake Tech President Scott Ralls, signifying the light of discovery and human achievement and “lighting the way” for further entrepreneurial achievements in North Carolina.

“Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in the strength of our community,” Ralls said. “We’re super excited about our partnership with NACCE and look forward to new opportunities to ignite and support job creation and small business growth in Wake County.”

NACCE’s new home at Wake Tech will house its leadership team and new hires and serve as a training location for national and regional summits. Wake Tech’s Western Wake Campus is also home to the college’s Small Business Center and numerous apprenticeship and entrepreneurship programs.

Thursday, February 20 - North Carolina Central University in Durham will host a Center of Practice breakfast event focused on Equity & Diversity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), featuring Brian Hamilton Foundation Vice President Charlie Bradley, along with experts in diversity and inclusion from NACCE, Wake Tech Community College, and Paradise Valley Community College.

Thursday evening, TiE Carolinas and Crowdfund NC will co-host an “Investing in NC Entrepreneurs” event at the Research Triangle Park headquarters. NACCE’s Rebecca Corbin will join panelists David Jones and Cliff Minsley to discuss investment crowd funding.

Friday & Saturday, February 21, 22 - NACCE, in partnership with the Verizon Foundation, will host a Mentoring Professional Development Institute session as part of ongoing engagement with Verizon Innovative Learning (VIL) program pilot participants at NC A&T University in Greensboro, NC. A portion of this workshop and a group tour will take place at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, in observance of Black History Month. Presenters include: Jeff Smith, NACCE director of Innovation and Equity; Katie Calabrese, NACCE director of Membership and Projects; Marquita McCulley, director, NC A&T VIL program; Rayon Brown, director of Diversity & Inclusion, Fox Valley Technical College; Caron Sada, of Paradise Valley Community College; and Kim Milton, of Restore More educational consultants.

“National Entrepreneurship Week is a wonderful opportunity for NACCE members to highlight what they’re doing to build entrepreneurship in their communities and to share program news with other members,” said Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D., president and CEO of NACCE. “The outstanding contributions of entrepreneurs are experienced in all corners of this country, and in many cases, North Carolina is at the forefront of this entrepreneurial movement.”

About National Entrepreneurship Week
In 2006, the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education (EntreEd) worked with state delegates to submit a house resolution in Congress designating the third week of February each year as “National Entrepreneurship Week.” Since then, NEW has been a highly visible celebration of entrepreneurship in communities across the U.S. To learn more, visit www.NatlEshipWeek.org. Follow on Twitter at @NatlEshipWeek or tweet with the hashtag#NatlEship Week.

About NACCE
NACCE is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in their communities and campuses. NACCE has two main goals: to empower college leaders to approach the business of running a community college with an entrepreneurial mindset and to grow the community college’s role in supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in their local ecosystem. NACCE has over 330 member colleges, representing nearly 2,000 members and approximately 3.3 million students.

For more information, visit www.nacce.com. Follow us on Twitter at @NACCE, like us on Facebook, and join our LinkedIn group.

About Wake Technical Community College
Wake Tech is North Carolina’s largest community college, serving more than 74,000 adults annually, with six campuses, three training centers, multiple community sites, and a comprehensive array of online learning options. Wake Tech is accredited and offers more than 200 associate’s degrees, diplomas, and certificates that prepare students for university transfer or immediate employment. For more information, visit waketech.edu, and on social media @waketechcc.
Contact
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
Carol Savage
978-857-1473
www.nacce.com
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